Wire fabric for ornamental wear.



F. P. & H. W. COLLINGWOOD.

WIRE FABRIC FOR ORNAMENTAL WEAR.

APPLICATION FILED APR-2.1913.

1 1%@ %%5. Patented May 25, 1915.

I Mm Fred]? Collirqzdami Harold M. Collinyuiood A w. M W

enirnn snares Parana? clarion.

FRED P. GOLLINGWOOID AND HAROLD W. COLLING-WOOD, OF A'ITLEBORO,

' MASSACHUSETTS.

WIRE FABRIC FOR ORNAMENTAL NEAR.

iaaoaas.

Application filed April 2, 1913.

and useful Improvements in i/Vire Fabric for Ornamental WVear, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the construction of extendible bracelets, belts, and the like,

from wire fabric for. ornamental Wear, and

has for its object to provide an extendiblewire fabric constructed of a pluralitywof wire helices woven one into another and to attach an elastic member, either in the form of springs or webbing, or the like, to the fabric so as to draw together the helices in the direction of their width and normally hold the fabric in contracted position.

A further object of the invention is to bend, double or fold one part of the fabric over another part, said fold being substantially at right angles to the axisof the heli ces whereby each individual helical member is bent or folded around to shape the fabric into the desired form, which folded formit will retain permanently owing to the bend of the wires, said fold forming a channel within which the spring or elastic member may be placed.

With these and other objects in view, the

invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Of the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bracelet constructed of our improved extendible wire fabric. Fig. 2 is a single wire wound into a helical form. Fig. 3 is a greatly enlarged view of a portion of the fabric formed of the helices shown in Fig. 2, and illustrating the links as having been flattened and'extended by rolling, the lower helix being shown as drawn upward or inward toward the next adjacent helix. Fig. 4 illustrates the edges of the fabric as having been folded, rolled or doubled over practically upon itself, said fold being substantially at right angles to the axes of the helices for the purpose of forming channels through which the spring or elastic member may extend. Fig. 5 is an end view showing another form in which the fabric may be folded. Fig. 6 is an en- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 1915.

Serial No. 758,381.

larged view showing the coupling or connecting member in which the opposlte ends of the fabric are secured and the tension springs as connected together for holding the fabric in contracted position. Fig. 7 shows the fabric formed into a belt with the tension springs passing through the same.

The extendible wire bracelet used in the construction of articles herein described is formed by first winding wire, which may be of gold, silver, or other metal, into a helical form, as illustrated in Fig. 2, and then threading or weaving one piece after another into the next preceding piece at the edge of the fabric, as illustrated in Fig. 3, so that the convolutions of one member engage the corresponding convolutions on the next adjacent member. After the fabric has been thus formed it is preferably passed through a pair of rollers which flatten out, extend or elongate the helical coils into substantially the form illustrated in Fig. 3, whereby considerable space is left between the loops of the helices thus enabling them to be drawn together in the direction of their width, that is to bring the axis of one up nearer in line with that of the next adjacent helix, and the invention primarily consists in connecting suitable elastic means to this fabric to draw together its members and contract the fabric and to normally retaln said members in contracted position.

Our invention further consists in rolling,

folding or doubling one part of the fabric over another part, said folding being accomplished by bending the wire helices at substantially right angles to their axes, whereby by thus bending the wires themselves they remain permanently in such bent position. The essential advantage in bending the fabric to form these channels is for the purpose of receiving and inclosing an elastic member, such as a coil spring or the like, the spring being so arranged that its contacting action will draw together the convolutions of the individual helices to shorten the fabric and normally hold the same in contracted position.

Another feature of our invention is that this fabric may be permanently bent or shaped into artistic forms which in addition to providing channels for the reception of the elastic members also serves to render them attractive and handsome in appearance. The bending of the fabric in this manner does not interfere with its ability to be contracted by the action of the elastic member or extended or drawn apart by stretching the same. This fabric may be employed for many purposes, among others being principally its use for extendible bracelets, as illustrated in Fig. 1, in which the two side edges of the fabric are rolled over toward each other forming two parallel channels 10, 11, through which coil springs 12 and 13 extend. The two ends of the fabric are shown as entering the opposite ends of a sleeve 14: to which they are secured by pins 15 and 16 to prevent them from being withdrawn therefrom and the coil springs 12 and 13 are shown as having their opposite ends connected together by means of the links 17 and 18, whereby the tension of these springs will be sufficient to draw together the convolutions of the helices and normally hold the fabric in contracted position.

In Fig. 3 the lower helical member 19 is shown as having been raised or its axis brought up nearer into line with that of the next adjacent'helix, therefore it will be seen that if each one of these helices were moved toward each other in the same manner the fabric itself would be considerably shortened and when drawn outward in the opposite direction it would be capable of considerable extension.

As illustrated in Fig. 7 this fabric may be employed as a belt to go around the waist of a person, and its edges 2021 may be rolled or folded inward to provide one or more channels through which the springs 22, 23 may pass and the ends of both the fabric and the springs may be attached to the end members 21 and 25 whereby the tension of the springs may naturally act upon the fabric to normally hold it in contracted position. The member 24 is shown as being provided with a loop 26 while the opposite member is provided with a tongue 27 whereby the two ends of the belt may be hooked together.

We have shown and illustrated springs as constituting the elastic member. for retaining the fabric in contractedposition, but we do not wish to be limited to this particular construction as any elastic member, such as webbing, or the like, may be employed for this purpose if desired.

7 WVe claim: I

1. An article of manufacture comprising an extendible wire fabric constructed of a plurality of wire helices loosely woven one into another and extending transversely of the fabric, and an elastic member attached to said fabric for drawing together said helices in the direction of their width and normally holding the same in contracted relation.

2. An article of manufacture comprising an extendible wire fabric constructed of a plurality of wire helices loosely woven one into another'and extending transversely of the fabric, portions of said fabric being permanently bent longitudinally of the fabric and transversely with respect to said helices to form folds, and'an elasticmembei within said folds for drawing said helices together in the direction of their width and normally holding the same in contracted contracted relation.

4. An article of manufacture comprising an extendible wire fabric constructed of a plurality of wire helices loosely woven one into another and flattened, said helices extending transversely of the fabric, and an elastic member attached to said fabric for drawing together said helices in the direction of their width and normally holding the same in contracted relation.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

FRED P. COLLINGWOOD.

HAROLD W. COLLINGWOODQ Witnesses:

HOWARD E. BARLOW,

E. D'. OGDEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Istents,

Washington. D. G. 

